“We wish this festival could go on for 100 years… but we’ll keep playing as many as we can.” – Wayne Coyne

Sorry to go Tarantino with this and begin with the end of the night, but I felt this (approximated) quote completely summed up my feelings walking through the gates of Forecastle for the last day of this incredible festival. While I could pine away for Forecastle indefinitely, I will instead just focus on telling you about the few wonderful bands I was able to be immersed in.

*All photos by Quinton Caster

She & Him
Ever since the 2005 film adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I’ve loved Zooey Deschanel. Needless to say, I was looking forward to seeing She & Him play their set. Yet, I was in no way prepared for just how adorable Zooey is during a live performance. I actually had to walk further from the stage to be less distracted, but it was to no avail. I simply had to look away to have any thought other than “Awww.” Of course, besides melting hearts, She & Him also played an amazing set. The singing was tight and strong, so much so that it actually took me off guard. Critics may look at bands with actor or actress vocalists as mere marketing ploys (and sadly, they’re usually right), but Zooey has firmly established herself as a serious, fantastic musician, and along with the talented M. Ward, this band can only get more endearing.

Paper Route
The West stage during this festival was notorious for having technical issues with the sound. Sadly, these Nashville natives were plagued by it throughout their set. However, I feel that the incredible performance they put on, despite that, is a true testament to the quality of their musicianship. Crafting some of the most atmospheric soundscapes at the festival, Paper Route manages to make beautiful-to-violent dream rock. They had incredible drum work, they managed to throw in some harmonica without breaking the sonic nature of their music, and I couldn’t help but be blown away when they started playing a theremin. In short, I can’t wait to see this band again.

Company of Thieves
I was floored by the stunning amount of energy this Chicago-based band put out. Genevieve Schatz incredible vocal talent and Marc Walloch’s guitar skill, combined with the tight framework from the rest of the band, truly needs to be heard live to be believed. Their closing song had one of the most soulful breakdowns I have ever heard (and even the incredibly drunk man dancing around like a satyr couldn’t ruin it for me). Do yourself a favor. If you haven’t already, go see this band as soon as possible!

Spoon
Easily one of my favorite bands, I was so pumped to see them live. They played an amazing set, which was punctuated by the setting sun behind them. Britt Daniel himself had to remark about just how nice the night was. I was probably being eaten alive by mosquitos while they were playing, heck, the whole crowd was pretty much a grand banquet for those winged little devils, but we were all too entranced, too into the songs to notice or care.

Papadosio
While killing time before the next band we planned to cover, I heard a mesmerizing sound coming from the Ocean stage. Now, I had pretty much been avoiding that stage all festival since they played almost nothing but techno. Don’t get me wrong. I like electronic music, but I tend to grow weary of electronic percussion after a few songs. This was different though. The drums were entrancing, and I followed the sound like a rat to the Pied Piper. Papadosio mixed a beautiful collection of manned drums, guitar, and bass along with their synth and guitars. I only wish I had been able to catch their full set because the short bit I heard was psychedelic and wonderful.

Against Me!
It’s truly frustrating to me that Against Me! was scheduled to play at the same time as the Flaming Lips as this was completely unfair to the band. They were playing perfectly, so few people were around the stage during their set. I absolutely love the band and felt really bad for them, but it’s nearly impossible to compete with The Flaming Lips’ stage show. If any of the members of Against Me! are reading this, you guys were great! Please come back when we aren’t distracted by confetti!

The Flaming Lips
Pretty much the entire festival was a countdown to this performance. You could feel the excitement in the air surrounding this band. Even some of the people who had never seen the Flaming Lips live had heard about the antics that they put on. Walking across the crowd in an inflated bubble, spraying the crowd with a fog gun, throwing enormous balloons into the audience, firing confetti cannons frequently…this show had everything I had ever heard about The Flaming Lips and then some! Wayne Coyne seems like he could have a blast anywhere he went, and often while watching him on stage, it was easier to imagine him as an incredible circus ringleader than the lead singer of a band. There could not have been a better, more beautiful way to wrap up this weekend.

Afterthoughts:
Forecastle was a festival whose premise was executed exactly as it was intended. All three elements—Music, Art and Activism—coexisted without clashing. In fact they complimented and magnified each other. The only regret I have is that we weren’t able to cover everything. There were tons of bands we couldn’t see, there were picketers we weren’t able to interview, and Foxy Shazam had some sort of altercation with the river that I was only able to uncover rumors and speculation about. By the end of Sunday, I was happily exhausted and ready to sleep, as if I had overloaded on music and needed the rest to digest it. I can’t wait for next year’s festival. It encompasses all the reasons I love this city! Until then, though, I’m going to be going broke from all the new bands I discovered and plan to check out.